Canadian industrial research and development organizations
Encyclopedia
Expenditures by Canadian corporations on research and development accounted for about 50% of all spending on scientific research and development in Canada in 2007.
In the corporate sector research and development tends to focus on the creation or invention of new products and services or more commonly the incremental improvement of existing products and services. A good example of the former would be the invention of the BlackBerry
, by the Waterloo, Ontario based company, Research in Motion
, while an example of the latter would be the development of a new class of aircraft, the regional jet by Bombardier Aerospace
of Montreal, Quebec.
It is rare for corporations to undertake what might be considered "pure" scientific research. In almost all cases the corporate bottom line is a paramount consideration and the payoff for such activity is not usually immediately evident. However it is true that there are times when the difference between the two is not at all clear, as was the case for example, with atomic research at Chalk River, Ontario, during World War II and in the post war years, which lead to the development of the CANDU power reactor. More recently, research in the field of nanotechnology blurs the distinction as well. Is investigation into the principles of the manipulation of atoms science or engineering?
In 2006 total spending on scientific and industrial research in Canada amounted to C$28.067 billion or about 2 percent of GDP. In 2006 Canadian corporations spent C$14.858 billion on research and development, representing about half of all R&D spending in Canada and about one percent of Canada's GDP.
In 2007 Canadian corporations spent C$15.773 billion on research and development, again representing about half of all R&D expenditures in Canada and an amount equal to about one percent of the GDP.
Below is a list of the largest corporate R&D spenders in Canada ranked by size. Also described are sectorial R&D expenditures for the fiscal year 2006. A section that lists some important government R&D funding agencies is also included.
In the corporate sector research and development tends to focus on the creation or invention of new products and services or more commonly the incremental improvement of existing products and services. A good example of the former would be the invention of the BlackBerry
BlackBerry
BlackBerry is a line of mobile email and smartphone devices developed and designed by Canadian company Research In Motion since 1999.BlackBerry devices are smartphones, designed to function as personal digital assistants, portable media players, internet browsers, gaming devices, and much more...
, by the Waterloo, Ontario based company, Research in Motion
Research In Motion
Research In Motion Limited or RIM is a Canadian multinational telecommunications company headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada that designs, manufactures and markets wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market...
, while an example of the latter would be the development of a new class of aircraft, the regional jet by Bombardier Aerospace
Bombardier Aerospace
Bombardier Aerospace is a division of Bombardier Inc. and is the third-largest airplane manufacturer in the world. It is headquartered in Dorval, Quebec, Canada.- History :...
of Montreal, Quebec.
It is rare for corporations to undertake what might be considered "pure" scientific research. In almost all cases the corporate bottom line is a paramount consideration and the payoff for such activity is not usually immediately evident. However it is true that there are times when the difference between the two is not at all clear, as was the case for example, with atomic research at Chalk River, Ontario, during World War II and in the post war years, which lead to the development of the CANDU power reactor. More recently, research in the field of nanotechnology blurs the distinction as well. Is investigation into the principles of the manipulation of atoms science or engineering?
In 2006 total spending on scientific and industrial research in Canada amounted to C$28.067 billion or about 2 percent of GDP. In 2006 Canadian corporations spent C$14.858 billion on research and development, representing about half of all R&D spending in Canada and about one percent of Canada's GDP.
In 2007 Canadian corporations spent C$15.773 billion on research and development, again representing about half of all R&D expenditures in Canada and an amount equal to about one percent of the GDP.
Below is a list of the largest corporate R&D spenders in Canada ranked by size. Also described are sectorial R&D expenditures for the fiscal year 2006. A section that lists some important government R&D funding agencies is also included.
Largest Canadian corporate research and development spenders
- Canada's ICT Top Corporate R&D Spenders 2005 Fiscal Year (in US$ millions)
- Nortel Networks Corporation* 1,855.9 Comm/telecom equipment
- Bell CanadaBell CanadaBell Canada is a major Canadian telecommunications company. Including its subsidiaries such as Bell Aliant, Northwestel, Télébec, and NorthernTel, it is the incumbent local exchange carrier for telephone and DSL Internet services in most of Canada east of Manitoba and in the northern territories,...
1,436.0 Telecommunications services - ATI Technologies Inc.ATI TechnologiesATI Technologies Inc. was a semiconductor technology corporation based in Markham, Ontario, Canada, that specialized in the development of graphics processing units and chipsets. Founded in 1985 as Array Technologies Inc., the company was listed publicly in 1993 and was acquired by Advanced Micro...
* 372.5 Computer equipment - IBM Canada Ltd.IBMInternational Business Machines Corporation or IBM is an American multinational technology and consulting corporation headquartered in Armonk, New York, United States. IBM manufactures and sells computer hardware and software, and it offers infrastructure, hosting and consulting services in areas...
(fs) 283.1 Software and computer services - Ericsson Canada Inc.EricssonEricsson , one of Sweden's largest companies, is a provider of telecommunication and data communication systems, and related services, covering a range of technologies, including especially mobile networks...
(fs) 165.9 Comm/telecom equipment - Alcatel Canada Inc.AlcatelAlcatel Mobile Phones is a brand of mobile handsets. It was established in 2004 as a joint venture between Alcatel-Lucent of France and TCL Communication of China....
(fs) 160.1 Comm/telecom equipment - Cognos IncorporatedCognosCognos was an Ottawa, Ontario-based company making business intelligence and performance management software. Founded in 1969, at its peak Cognos employed almost 3,500 people and served more than 23,000 customers in over 135 countries.Originally Quasar Systems Limited, it adopted the Cognos...
* 106.0 Software & computer services - Telus CorporationTELUSTelus is a national telecommunications company in Canada that provides a wide range of telecommunications products and services including internet access, voice, entertainment, video, and satellite television. The company is based in Burnaby, British Columbia, part of Greater Vancouver...
103.2 Telecommunications services - Research In Motion LimitedResearch In MotionResearch In Motion Limited or RIM is a Canadian multinational telecommunications company headquartered in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada that designs, manufactures and markets wireless solutions for the worldwide mobile communications market...
* 101.2 Comm/telecom equipment - PMC Sierra, Ltd. (fs) 85.1 Electronic parts and components
- Zarlink Semiconductor Inc.ZarlinkZarlink Semiconductor was a virtually fabless semiconductor company specializing in the design and manufacture of communication and medical semiconductor integrated circuits, modules, and other devices. In 2011, Microsemi acquired Zarlink in a hostile takeover and merged it it into its own operations...
* 65.2 Comm/telecom equipment - Open Text CorporationOpen Text CorporationOpenText Corporation Waterloo, Ontario, Canada. As Canada's largest software company, it produces and distributes computer software applications designed to enable Enterprise content management solutions for large corporations across all industries....
* 65.1 Software & computer services - CGI Group Inc.CGI GroupCGI Group Inc. is an information technology management and business process services company. Founded in 1976 and headquartered in Montreal, Canada, CGI employs approximately 31,000 professionals in over 125 offices in 16 countries. As of September 2010, CGI had an annual revenue of CA $3.7...
64.5 Software & computer services - Geac Computer Corporation Limited*+ 57.9 Software & computer services
- Hummingbird Ltd.Hummingbird Ltd.Hummingbird Ltd. is a subsidiary of Open Text and is a provider of enterprise software solutions including Exceed. Initially founded as a consulting business in 1984, Hummingbird evolved into a strong player in the connectivity market...
* 46.4 Software & computer services - Aastra Technologies LimitedAastra TechnologiesAastra Technologies Limited headquartered in Concord, Ontario, Canada, makes products and systems for accessing communication networks including the Internet...
43.2 Comm/telecom equipment - Motorola Canada LimitedMotorolaMotorola, Inc. was an American multinational telecommunications company based in Schaumburg, Illinois, which was eventually divided into two independent public companies, Motorola Mobility and Motorola Solutions on January 4, 2011, after losing $4.3 billion from 2007 to 2009...
(fs) 42.1 Comm/telecom equipment - Mitel Networks CorporationMitelMitel Networks, is a high-tech company providing unified communications solutions for business. The company previously produced TDM PBX systems and applications but after a change in ownership in 2001 now focuses almost entirely on Voice-over-IP products.Mitel is headquartered in Ottawa,...
* 41.4 Comm/telecom equipment - Source: RESEARCH Infosource Inc., Canada's Top 100 Corporate R&D List, 2006 (2/2007)
- Canada's Life Sciences Top Corporate R&D Spenders 2005 Fiscal Year(in US$ Millions)
- Apotex Inc. 151.1
- Pfizer Canada Inc. (fs) 147.5
- GlaxoSmithKline Inc. (fs) 111.8
- Merck Frosst Canada Ltd. (fs) 96.6
- Biovail Corporation* 88.9
- AstraZeneca Canada Inc. (fs) 79.8
- Sanofi Pasteur Limited (fs) 76.6
- QLT Inc.* 74.6
- MDS Inc. 71.8
- Sanofi-aventis Canada Inc. (fs) 59.6
- Vasogen Inc. 59.1
- Novartis Pharmaceuticals Canada Inc. (fs)53.6
- Wyeth Pharmaceuticals (fs) 50.0
- Neurochem Inc. 41.7
- Source: RESEARCH Infosource Inc., Canada's Top 100 Corporate R&D List, 2006 (2/2007)
- Canada's Aerospace Top Corporate R&D Spenders 2005 Fiscal Year(in US$ Millions)
- Pratt & Whitney Canada Corp. (fs) 389.5
- Bombardier Inc.* 175.0
- CAE Inc. 88.8
- Honeywell Canada (fs) 76.0
- MacDonald, Dettwiler and Associates Ltd. 40.4
- Source: RESEARCH Infosource Inc., Canada's Top 100 Corporate R&D List, 2006 (2/2007)
- Canada's Energy, Oil and Gas Top Corporate R&D Spenders 2005 Fiscal Year(in US$ Millions)
- Atomic Energy of Canada LimitedAtomic Energy of Canada LimitedAtomic Energy of Canada Limited or AECL is a Canadian federal Crown corporation and Canada's largest nuclear science and technology laboratory...
218.0 - Suncor Energy Inc. 89.1
- EnCana Corporation* 80.0
- Ballard Power Systems Inc.* 75.5
- Imperial Oil Limited 56.1
- Syncrude Canada Ltd. 36.6
- Source: RESEARCH Infosource Inc., Canada's Top 100 Corporate R&D List, 2006 (2/2007)
- Atomic Energy of Canada Limited
Industrial Research and Development Expenditures by Sector
- Canadian Gross Expenditure on R&D (GERD) by Performing Sectors - 2006 Estimates
- C$ Millions
- Business Enterprises 14,850, 52.4%
- Higher Education 10,890, 38.4%
- Federal Government 2,145, 7.6%
- Provincial Government 345, 1.2%
- Provincial Research Organizations 127, 0.4%
- Total 28,357, 100.0%
- Source: Statistics Canada, Science Statistics September 2006 (2/2007)
- Canadian Industrial Intramural R&D Expenditures, Selected Industries - 2006 Estimates
- C$ Millions
- Machinery 488
- Motor Vehicles and parts 537
- Wholesale Trade 767
- Semiconductor & other electronic components 869
- Aerospace products and parts 912
- Computer system design & related services 1,056
- Scientific research & development services 1,142
- Pharmaceutical & medicine 1,293
- Information & cultural industries 1,518
- Communication Equipment 1,580
- Source: Statistics Canada, Science Statistics September 2006 (2/2007)
- Canadian Industrial Intramural R&D Expenditures in Six Sub-group - 2006 Estimates
- Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting 80
- Mining and oil and gas extraction 261
- Utilities 197
- Construction 46
- Manufacturing 8,273
- Communication Equipment 1,580
- Pharmaceutical & medicine 1,293
- Aerospace products and parts 912
- Semiconductor & other electronic components 869
- Motor Vehicles and parts 537
- Machinery 488
- Paper 468
- Navig., measuring, medical & control instruments 345
- Other manufacturing industries 1,781
- Services 5,993
- Information and cultural industries 1,518
- Scientific research & development services 1,142
- Computer system design & related services 1,056
- Wholesale Trade 767
- Architectural, engineering and real estates 442
- Health care and social assistance 364
- Finance, insurance and real estate 356
- All other services 348
- Total All Industries 14,850
- Source: Statistics Canada, Science Statistics August 2006 (2/2007)
Government Industrial Research and Development Funding Agencies
- Revenue Canada - Ottawa, Ontario
- Scientific Research and Experimental Development Programme,
- Federal government tax advantages for industrial research and development.
- Scientific Research and Experimental Development Programme,
- National Research Council of Canada - Ottawa, Ontario
- NRC Industrial Research Assistance Program (NRC-IRAP)- Ottawa (Montreal Road Campus), Ontario and NRC-IRAP across Canada,
- Ontario Ministry of Research and Innovation - Toronto, Ontario
- Commercialization and Funding Organizations
- Early Researcher Awards
- The Health Technology Exchange
- Innovation Demonstration Fund
- International Strategic Opportunities Program
- Ontario Commercialization Investment Funds
- Ontario Fuel Cell Innovation Programme
- Ontario Research Commercialization Program
- Premiers Discovery Awards
- Commercialization and Funding Organizations
See also
- Canadian government scientific research organizationsCanadian government scientific research organizationsExpenditures by federal and provincial organizations on scientific research and development accounted for about 10% of all such spending in Canada in 2006...
- Canadian university scientific research organizationsCanadian university scientific research organizationsExpenditures by Canadian universities on scientific research and development accounted for about 40% of all spending on scientific research and development in Canada in 2006....
- Science and technology in CanadaScience and technology in CanadaScience and technology in Canada consists of three distinct but closely related phenomena:* the diffusion of technology in Canada,* scientific research in Canada* innovation, invention and industrial research in Canada...